Dala Rooster homestay Panchgani review

The owners of Dala Rooster homestay in Panchgani are Captain Gokhale and his wife Leena Gokhale. There are 3 staff on the premises: Mr. Bhajan Yadav and Mrs. Suvarna Yadav, a couple who are caretakers-cum-cooks, and Vijay, who cleans and swabs the premises in addition to helping out in the kitchen.

At the outset please note that the picture gallery at the Dala Rooster website has an old photo of the lounge and even otherwise none of the pictures on that site or this blog can truly capture the charming beauty of the place. I would suggest that you ignore the photo gallery at the official site of Dala Rooster – all are not of the hometsay as it is today. Visit in person to get the true picture! 

The Dala Rooster Homestay 
It is a really charming home, visually appealing at first sight. 

Love at first sight!

The home is impeccably maintained, as is the garden with its blooming plants and shrubs.
 

A couple of figurines dot the greenery.

The pathways are all well paved and easy to walk on, unlike the rough public road leading up to the white double gates.

Pathway

Talking of a true picture, when you stay somewhere on vacation, it is not just the impeccable service, food & accommodation which create the larger picture. What matters more are the little things & there are a couple of these which stood out during our stay at Dala Rooster hometsay in Panchgani:

1. We were 3 in a group and had decided that a double bed room could be shared by us with the third person hiring an extra bed to sleep on the floor. On conveying this to the owner, Capt. Gokhale, he was aghast at the idea. He said that the tariff was per person and not per room & there was no need to be uncomfortable sleeping on the floor. We thought it was really good of him to give us a second room for just one person when he could easily have said no to another room. After all, he would then have made more money if he gave that room to two other guests. This thoughtfulness for his guests (us) made a really good impression on us – no petty money-mindedness.

2. When you dine, you tend to get annoyed at the constant hovering around of the staff. This did not happen at Dala Rooster. The food and cutlery was kept ready at the table and we were left alone to have a leisurely meal.

3. When the rooms had to be cleaned, the caretaker asked for permission beforehand and enquired if we were going out so as to clean the rooms. At no point were we told that we had to leave the rooms so they could be cleaned. Even on the day of the check out (check out time is 11a.m.), he asked for permission to have the room cleaned to make it ready for the next guests. He could have as easily simply told us to move out with our luggage instead of requesting for permission. We sat in the lounge to wait for our private taxi to pick us up & he brought our luggage down.

A problem which marred our otherwise perfect stay at Dala Rooster was the lack of water on the second night after 11p.m. This is one thing you absolutely do not want when you are on vacation! It was lucky that we had a little water in the bathroom bucket to use for the toilet during the night. It was also lucky that we had opted for the evening rather than a morning train from Pune for the return journey from Panchgani. Otherwise this lack of water would mean no bath or even a basic wash-up in the early hours as the water came only just before 7a.m. We assume that this oversight to keep the tank filled the previous night was a one-off occurrence. Incidentally, Panchgani has no shortage of water supply due to a dam in the vicinity. So rest assured on that score.

There is such a lot to write about our stay at Dala Rooster homestay that I will split this review in multiple posts.

Read more:
Location

Accommodation

Dining

Tariffs
Rs 1500/- per adult per day, inclusive of breakfast and evening tea/coffee + biscuits. For children below 12 years, it is Rs 750 per child per day inclusive of breakfast and evening tea/coffee + biscuits. In addition, we will provide complimentary unlimited milk for children. There are no charges for children below 5 years. 

Full bungalow is Rs 16,500 per day ( for max 12 adults + 6 children below 12 years ) , inclusive of breakfast and evening tea/coffee + biscuits. In addition, we will provide complimentary unlimited milk for children. We can accommodate a maximum of 16 adults. However, for each extra adult the charges will be Rs 1500 per person per day inclusive of breakfast and evening tea/coffee + biscuits.

Contact Information of Dala Rooster homestay Panchgani 

The mascot of Dala Rooster

Capt. Vikas Gokhale

“Dala Rooster”

Paramount Society Survey no. 545/5,

Panchgani – 412 805

Maharashtra

Email: staypanchgani@gmail.com

Ph: Contact Capt. Gokhale via email & give your contact nos. He will contact you.